PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Hospital Association of Rhode Island (HARI) urged lawmakers Thursday afternoon to pass key legislation aimed at stabilizing health care statewide.
Specifically, HARI wants the General Assembly to approve a so-called “Health Care Action Package,” which includes the following:
- Family Health Care Act: Increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for physicians and advance practice providers in the community
- Medicaid Reinvestment Act: Improves the hospital payment structure by increasing Medicaid payments at no additional cost to taxpayers by leveraging the hospital provider tax
- Health Insurance Fairness Act: Makes Rhode Island’s commercial reimbursement rates more competitive with Massachusetts and Connecticut
- Defending Affordable Prescription Drug Costs Act: Preserves the 340B drug pricing program to stabilize care and keep clinics open
“Rhode Island’s health care crisis did not happen overnight — it’s a systemic problem that is the result of years of underinvestment and lack of strategy,” said Howard Dulude, HARI’s interim president. “We are at a critical point in addressing this crisis, and the cost of inaction affects every corner of the health care system and will be felt by every single Rhode Islander.”
“The path forward must include sustainable solutions that address the root causes of instability within the health care system: insufficient reimbursement rates across all payers, workforce shortages and burnout, and financial instability,” he continued.
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Dulude urged state lawmakers to “recognize the gravity of Rhode Island’s health care crisis and act quickly.”…